Apparatus for catching and delivering mail.



W. STBTSALL.

APPARATUS FOR GA'IGHING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.1. 1910.

9?9,587, Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETS-BHBET 1.

Al: WM

Attorneys.

Inventor, I

W. STETSALL. APPARATUS FOR GATGHING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.1. 1910. I

79, 5 7 Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WW um;

Inventor,

Attornys.

WILLIAM STETSALL, OF MARION, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR CATCHING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2?, 1310.

Application filed October 1, 1910. Serial No. 584,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lViLLIAM STETsALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Apparatus for Catching and Delivering Mail, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for catching and delivering mail andconsists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts ashereinafter shown, described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus of thecharacter indicated adapted to be used in part upon a moving car and inpart at the side of a track, the car having means for holding a mail bagin such position that it is delivered to that part which is located atthe side of the track as the car passes and the part of the apparatuswhich is located at the side of the track is provided with means forholding a mail bag which in turn is delivered to the car as it passeWith this object in view the apparatus includes an arm which ispivotally mounted at a door or other opening upon the car. which arm isprovided with a pin adapted to enter and support a ring attached to amail bag. A section of the car at the side of the said door is hingedlymounted and is normally held closed by a weight or its equivalent. Whenthe arm is swung in an outward direction it is adapted to move the saidhinged section and locate in the opening which is normally closed by thesaid. section. The car is also provided with an opening which isnormally closed by a hinged panel. Means are provided for holding thesaid panel at an acute angle to the side of the car and a horizontalwhen the said panel is swung in an outward direction. A board ishingedly mounted upon the said panel and is provided with a handle, thesaid board when the panel is swung in an outward direction is adapted tobe swung in an approximately vertical position and the board is pitchedat an angle to the side of the car with one of its ends in engagementwith one end of the opening which is nor mally closed by the said panel.These constitute the features of the apparatus which are mounted uponthe car. The fixtures which are located adjacent the track consist of afoundation and a socket member detachably mounted upon said foundation.A standard having an approximately horizontal arm is located adjacentthe said foundation and the said arm of the standard is provided with apin which is adapted to enter and support a ring of a mail bag. Thesocket member is of especial construction as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure l is a perspective view of theapparatus. F ig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of thecar showing the pivoted arm mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is a side elevationof the portion of the apparatus which is located at the side of thetrack and a part of the car in section. Fig. 1 is a sectional view. ofpart of the apparatus which is located at the side of the track.

The apparatus includes in providing a car 1 with a door or opening 2 andan opening 3. The side of the opening 2 is provided with a recess 4:which is normally closed by a hinged section 5. One end of a cable 6 isfixed to the said hinged section 5 and the said cable is trained backinto the car 1 and supports at its other end a weight 7. The saidweighthangs pendent and consequently serves as means for normallyholding the section 5 in closed position in the rccess 4. An arm 8 ishinged] y mounted in the car 1 adjacent the recess 4 and is provided atits free end with a pin 9 which is disposed approximately at a rightangle to the long dimension of the arm 8. The arm 8 is of a verticalthickness whereby it fits snugly in the recess 1 when it is swung in anout ward direction and when the said arm is swung in an outwarddirection, the section 5 is forced back against the pull of the weight 7and the pin 9 is positioned approximately parallel with the side of thecar 1. The arm is held in an outstanding position by means of a pin 10which is passed through registering perforations in the said arm andsupporting blocks 11 between which the arm is mounted.

In combination with the apparatus the mail bags indicated at 12 areprovided with strap handles 13 upon which are mounted rings 14. When abag is supported by the arm 8 the ring of the said bag is slipped overthe pin 9. A foundation 15 is erected adjacent the track upon which thecar 1 travels and is provided at its upper end with a mortise 16 whichin turn is provided with under cut sides. A socket member 17 is providedwith a base portion 18 which in turn is provided upon its under sidewith a tenon 19 adapted to slip longitudinally within the mortise 16provided at the upper end of the foundation 15. A stop 20 is providedupon the under side of the tenon 19 and is adapted to encounter the edgeof the upper end portion of the foundation 15 and limit the slidingmovement of the tenon 19 within the mortise 16. The sides of the member17 converge toward each other and the top of the member 17 is providedwith a longitudinally disposed slot 21. The member 17 is provided in thevicinity of its smaller end with a depending flange one end of whichterminates short of one of the sides of the said member 17 wherebysufficient space is provided to permit a passage for the escape of airas the said socket member receives a mail bag as will be hereinafterexplained. The smaller end of the said socket member is also providedwith an outlet opening A panel 2A is hinged to the side of the car 1 andis adapted to serve as a closure for the opening 3 thereof. A supportingbracket 25 is fixed to the outer side of the car and is adapted to servea support for the panel 24 when the said panel is swung in an outwardposition, whereby the panel is held at an acute angle to the plane ofthe side of the car 1. A board 26 is hingedly mounted upon the panel 25with its edge portion which is attached to the said panel approximatelydiagonally positioned upon the panel. A handle 27 is attached to theboard 26 and when the panel 2-1 is swung to its open position, the saidboard 26 is swung in an approximately vertical position when one of itsends will be in contact with one end of the opening 3 provided in theside of the car 1 and the said board 26 is disposed at an acute angle tothe plane of the side of the car 1. After the panel 24: and board 26have been swung to open positions and used to catch a mail bag 12 willbe hereinafter explained, and when the said parts are closed, the board26 is first swung down upon the upper surface of the panel 21, then thepanel is swung in an inward direction and is secured in a closedposition at the edges of the opening whereby the parts are foldedtogether in compact form. A standard 28 is erected adjacent the trackupon which the car 1 travels and is provided with a horizontallydisposed arm portion 29. A pin 80 is fixed to the end portion of the arm29 and extends approximately parallel with the plane of the side of thecar 1. The said pin 30 is adapted to support a mail bag 12 in the manneras above described.

In operation a bag is placed upon the pin 30 also a bag is placed uponthe pin 9. As the car 1 approaches the foundation 15 the bag upon thepin 9 enters the socket member 17 and when the strap. handle 13 comes atthe end of the slot 21 the ring 14 slips off of the end of the pin 9 anda bag is delivered from the car 1 into the said socket member 17.Inasmuch as the socket member 17 is provided with tapered sides the endportion of the mail bag 12 will engage the said sides and the movementof the said mail bag with the car 1 is gradually checked. Also by reasonof the fact that an opening is provided below the edge of the flange 2;and the opening is provided in the end of the socket member 17,sufficient space is provided to permit the air to escape from the socketmember 17 as the mail bag is moved into the same and thus there is noobstruction on the part of the air to the proper seating and de positingof the mail bag in the socket memher. After the mail bag has beendelivered from the pin 9 at the end of the arm 8 to the socket member17, the said arm 8 is swung back into the car 1. Prior to the time thatthe said car 1 arrives at the standard 28, the panel 2&- is swung in anoutward direction and the board 26 is swung to its upright position uponthe said panel. Also a mail bag 12 is suspended from the pin 30 at theend of the arm 19. As the car 1 approaches the said mail bag upon thepin 30, the end of the bag comes in contact with the inner surface ofthe board 26 and the said mail bag is directed toward the opening 3 inthe side of the car 1. As the car continues to move pastthe pin 30, thering 14 of the mail bag upon the said pin slips off at the end of thesaid pin and the bag rests upon the upper surface of the panel 2% fromwhich it slides through the opening 3 into the interior of the car 1.Thus the mail bag is caught from the pin 30 at the end of the arm 29 andthe catching and delivering portions of the apparatus may be located soclose together as to cause the said catching and delivering operation tooccur approximately simultaneously.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination with a carhaving an opening in its side, an arm hingedly mounted in the caradjacent said opening, the said opening having at one of its edges arecess, a hinged section normally closing said recess, said arm adaptedto swing into said recess, means for locking said arm in the recess, anda pin carried at the free end of the arm, and extending at approximatelya right angle to the long dimension of the arm, and a socket membermounted upon a fixed support adjacent the course of travel of the car.

2. In an apparatus as described and in combination with a car having anopening in its side, a bag supporting arm mounted upon the car, afoundation located adjacent phl the path of travel of the car andprovided at its upper end with a mortise having under cut sides, asocket member having upon its base a tenon adapted to fit snugly in saidmortise and provided with a stop adapted to limit the movement of thetenon in the mortise, said socket member having converging side wallsand provided in its top with an elongated slot, a flange provided withinthe socket member in the vicinity of its smaller end, said socket memberhaving an opening at its smaller end in communication with its interior.

3. In an apparatus as described, in combination with a car provided inits side with an opening, a panel hinged at the lower edge of saidopening and adapted to swing in opposite direction to open position, aboard hingedly mounted upon said panel and having its hinged portiondiagonally disposed along the panel, a handle attached to said board,said board adapted to be swung in a vertical position at an acute angleto the plane of the side of the car and having one end against the endof the opening therein, and a bag supporting arm located adjacent thepath of movement of the car.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM STETSALL.

Witnesses ROBERT A. TALBOTT, JOHN M. SCHALER.

